Problem exists in industrial city and rural community
Since polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are produced through
industrial processes or activities, it is assumed that people living in
industrial cities will have higher concentrations of these toxic chemicals in
their blood than people in rural communities.
Researchers at the University of Iowa say this isn’t the
case. In a paper published in March in the journal Environmental Science &
Technology, scientists report that mothers and children in East Chicago, Ind.,
and Columbus Junction, Iowa, had only subtle differences in their PCB blood
levels. This analytical paper is the first to report such a comparison between
two communities, between mothers and children, and including all 209 PCB
compounds.